Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A41751
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Theophilie, or, A discourse of the saints amitie with God in Christ by Theophilus Gale.
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Gale, Theophilus, 1628-1678.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing G149; ESTC R27378
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246,253
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474
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stiled Prudence which is defined h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Def. Plat. A facultie or power of it self productive of human happines This Prudence contains in it these parts 1. A Sagacitie or a spirit of Discretion for the finding out the right end and object 2. An Vniversal providence or provision of al such means as conduce to the attainment of our desired end 3. A Facilitie and dexteritie for the disposing of these means in the best manner and method in order to the prosecution of our end Prudence necessarie 1. To discover the right end and object of our friendship Al these parts of Prudence are very requisite to al friendship but especially to the choice of Christ as our friend 1. There must be a spiritual sagacitie or judgement of Discretion to find out the right end and object of our friendship This is indeed of huge concernement in order to the right constitution of friendship for the last end in morals has the same place with the first principles in speculatives and with the Forme in Naturals The last end infuseth sweetnes goodnes forces and life into al the means therefore if this be naught our friendship can never be good i Tu verò Omnia cum amico delibera sed de ipso prius post amicitiam credendum est ante amicitiam judicandum Seneca In our Amitie with Christ the last end and ultimate object of our choice must be no other than Christ himself there is therefore required a spiritual sagacitie to discover the excellences of Christ Sagacitie is said to be * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plat. Def. fol. 412. an Acumen or sharpnes of Vnderstanding whereby we easily and speedily penetrate or dive into the nature and qualitie of things Amongst irrational creatures the Dog is thought to partake of a very great shadow hereof k Plato makes the Dog to be endued with a very great natural Sagacitie for the differencing his friends from his enemies Plato Rep. 2. fol. 376. Life of Padre Paul pag. 60. in that he can at the first glance discover his friend And it is said of Padâ—e Paul the Venetian that great Master of Prudence ' That he could immediately penetrate the nature inclinations and designes of men and like a perfect Musician make his judgement of the Instrument by the first touch so by making men speak he knew their ends their Interests their drifts their resolutions upon busines and with most admirable quicknes the very answers they could make and so he regulated himself in al procedings ' Such a sugacitie or sharp-sightednes is extremely useful in the choice of a friend especially of Christ who is imcomparably the best of friends Oh! were men so quick-sighted and sage as to discerne those infinite beauties and ravishing glories of Christ's person that Divine suavitie and good-nature of his Disposition those warme compassions and sweet tendernesses of his bowels those wonders and condescensions of his Grace in brief had men eyes to see what an ancient laborious industrious bleeding burning rich free unwearied invincible love Christ bears towards sinners they could not choose but choose him for their friend But ah alas here lies the sinner's Hel he is quick-sighted towards Idol-lovers but he has no eyes to see Christ the mysteries and wonders of his beautie Grace and Glorie and therefore 't is no wonder that Christ has so few friends in the world Would the blind World but take Philip's advice and Nathaniel's practice John 1.47 Joh. 1.47 Come and see what transcendent perfections what imcomparable excellences sweetnesses and heart-conquering mysteries of Grace and Love are to be found in Christ what a croud of friends might he have come and see wil speak more for Christ to set forth his excellences than the tongues of men or Angels can do But alas men wil not come men wil not see and dive into the glorious mysteries of Christ and therefore 't is no marvel that Amitie or friendship with him is so rare The Philosopher tels us l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fol. 206. That a wise man does not praise his beloved ' til after some familiaritie he knows him wel The wise men of the world commend not Christ as the best friend because they know him not and they know him not because they have no familiaritie or acquaintance with him Al men that have inward feeling experimental familiaritie with Christ commend and extol him as the best friend no man that ever came to him and tasted how good and gracious he is went away with repenting and hard thoughts of him David as a figure of Christ blesseth the Lord for this spiritual sagacitie as Psal 16.7 Psal 16.7 I blesse the Lord who hath given me counsel What counsel does he mean why counsel or sagacitie to chuse God for his friend and portion as it 's evident from v. 5 6. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance c. He is so far from envying of the wicked their portions and friends or from repenting of his choice that he blesseth God al his daies for this spiritual sagacitie or counsel which he gave him to chuse God himself and none but God for his friend Yea he is so much taken and satisfied in his choice as that he cries out to al the world Psal 34.8 Psal 34.8 O tast and see that the Lord is good This spiritual sagacitie is a Divine instinct wrought by the spirit of God whereby the soul first tasts and then sees the excellences of Christ So Tyndal on John 10.4 5. fol. 265. ' If they ask how we know that it is the Scripture of God ask them who taught the Eagles to spie out their prey even so the Children of God spie out their father ' Divine instinct backt with inward sense and spiritual reason gives the soul a clear spiritual affective sight of Christ and so engageth the heart to move strongly towards him For no knowlege works more powerfully than instinct of nature strengthened by reason Those who have an inward feeling tast of Christ's admirable sweetnesses wil see and know what an excellent friend he is The Philosopher defines m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Platon Def. fol. 413. election a right experimental probation such as the Goldsmith has of metals This is most true here the more inward experimental and familiar probation or trial we have of Christ the more chearful firme and inviolable wil our election of and Amitie towards him be 'T is true every friend of Christ has not a feeling sense of his interest in Christ yet he has deep sense of the superlative excellence of Christ Some good friends of Christ have not the sweet joyous sense of Christs presence yet they have the bitter bemoaning sense of his absence which argues some forgoing tast how sweet friendship with Christ is Thus it was with the Spouse even when she had lost his sweet
makes men sooner mad than to be drunk with too much felicitie Our Heads and Hearts are so weak and infirme as that they are soon overcome with the sweet wine of worldly good And therefore he that will be a friend of Christ needs much wisdome and Christian Temperance as to the Desire Vse and Fruition of these lower goods The Philosopher saies in down right termes b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato that it is impossible to be exceding rich and exceding good Which comes near our Lord 's great Aphorisme That it is impossible for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven i. e. as 't is explained for one that trusts in his riches which is the usual practice of rich men who therefore are most unfit to make friends of Christ Certainly great confluences of inferior goods are great impediments to friendship with Christ Because they make men usually 1. Very c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. l. 2. c. 19. proud 2. Very soft-natured and unable to bear and manage the crosse 3. Very voluptuous and sensual 4. Very formal dead-hearted and strangers to God in al their waies 5. Very confident in themselves 6. Very earthy and base-minded Which are al very obstructive to friendship with Christ We have sufficifient instances hereof in those who pretended friendship to Christ So the young man Mat. 19.21 Mat. 19.21 22. 22. what kept him from closing with Christ but his possessions he had rather part with Christ than with his riches He that wil make Christ his friend must ungod the World Now the Worlds Deitie or if you wil Trinitie consists in the Lusts of the flesh the lusts of the eye and the pride of life as 1 Joh. 2.16 1 Joh. 2.16 i.e. according to the usual explication the act being by reason of its near alliance set for the object Sensual pleasures Riches and Honors Which as the Cynick wittily expresseth it d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diogen Cyn. are the masques of Vices yea and the fuel of them So Philo the Jew tels us e Philo in Decalog That all sin comes from the lust after pleasures or riches or glorie These therefore must be so far rejected as they stand in competition with Christ Thus Christ enjoines the young man Matth. 19.21 Mat. 19.11 Go and sel what thou hast and give to the poor Christ commands him to part with al if he would partake of him To part with al why or how so 1. Every friend of Christ must part with al habitually in the habitual frame and bent of his heart Christ must be loved more than al thence the friends of Christ are required to hate al in comparison of Christ that is to love al with a lesser love which is comparative hatred This the young man came short in for he loved his riches more than Christ as v. 22. 2. The friend of Christ must part with al actually when Christ cals for it which Christ does in some cases As 1. In those first times of the Gospel Christ required that his friends should lay down al at his feet and live on a commun stock and therefore it was this young man's sin that he would not obey Christ's command and part with al at his injunction which was also the sin of Ananias and Saphira and it cost them their lives Again 2. Christ commands his friends to part actually with al so far as his Churches shal need require it for the maintaining of his worship and ordinances Which seems the meaning of that Scripture Gal. 6.6 7 8. Be not deceived God is not mocqued for what a man sows that also shal he reap c. His designe is to instruct us that we may not grudge any thing to Christ for the maintaining of his Worship 3. We are actually to part with al for Christ so far as it may stand in competition with Christ which oft happens in times of Persecution we must lose al to keep Christ and a good Conscience So our Lord informes us Mat. 6.24 Mat. 6.24 No man can serve two masters ye cannot serve God and Mammon i. e. as Chrysostome paraphraseth on these words f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost no one can serve God and Mammon because they require opposite things Christ commands that we part with what we have Mammon commandt that we catch at what we have not There is also an emphase in that notion serve which implies to be under the Dominion and to depend on the beck of those we serve He that is under the Dominion of Christ as his husband and friend must use the World as his servant not as his friend or Lord. In brief How the World is to be used in subordination to Christ the right use of the World in subordination to our friendship with Christ consists in these particulars 1. In al creature-goods to have a single intention on and pure Affection for Christ as our chiefest good and best friend This Christ injoines in the fore-cited Scripture Mat. 6.22 if the eye i. e. the Intention be single the whole bodie is ful of light To the friends of Christ the whole World should be but a glasse wherein they see and enjoy Christ their friend 2. There must be moderation in the use of al creature-comforts and contentation in the losse of them Al sensible goods are to the friends of Christ but things indifferent and therefore they must use them indifferently they must learne with Paul Phil. 4.12 Phil. 4.12 to want in al their abundance and to abound in al their wants What is wanting in their provision they must make up by contentment and what is over or abundant they must by Christian moderation and charitie learne to want 3. The friends of Christ must use things to be used and enjoy things to be injoyed i. e. they must use the World as their servant and injoy Christ as their friend For he that makes the World his friend makes Christ his enemie Jam. 4.4 So Jam. 4.4 Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmitie with God c. so irreconcilable is the feud 'twixt Christ and the World when they come in competition as that he who is a friend of the World must needs be an enemie to Christ and he that is a friend to Christ is necessarily engaged to be an enemie to the World How far the friends of Christ must reject the frowns of the World we intend to shew God willing when we come to their dutie as to bearing Christ's Crosse SECT 5. How far Divorce from the Law is pre-requisite to the Espousement of Christ as our friend 4. How far the Law is to be rejected in order to the espousement of Christ WE now procede to the last grand competitor with Christ namely The Law which is not simply and absolutely an enemie to Christ but only so far as under the notion of an Husband or